Fertilizer price hike part of a big conspiracy: Tikait

: Amid increasing prices of fertilizers and diesel ( both of which are used in farming), BKU leader Rakesh Tikait has accused the BJP government of a conspiracy to divert over 40 per cent workforce from agriculture to convert it into cheap labourers for factories.

Speaking to HT on phone, the farmer leader said that increased prices of fertilizers would further burden farmers who were already facing challenging times.

He accused the central and state governments of a calculated move to divert over 40 per cent people from farming so that they could be converted into cheap labourers for factories.

Tikait said that they have already made amendments in labour laws which supported industries and now they needed cheap labour which would come only after making things difficult for farmers.

“Increasing the prices of fertilizers, diesel, insecticides and other things used in farming seems a calculated move of the government for achieving its goal”, said Tikait who opposed the fertilizers and diesel price hike.

DAP fertilizer is widely used during sowing of almost all crops like sugarcane and wheat.

Former pradhan of Paswara village Manoj Malik said that the price of a 50 kg bag of DAP was Rs 1200 and Rs 150 had been increased on each bag. Similarly, Rs 700 had been increased on a 50 kg bag of potash. Its price was Rs 1700 per bag now.

Malik said that farmers were already facing the burden of high price of diesel and now they had been further burdened with whopping crease in prices of fertilizers.

Another farmer Dharmendra of village Chabaria of Meerut said farming was no longer profitable for them. Spiralling prices of fertilizers, diesel, seeds and pesticides had reduced farmers’ income drastically.

The farmers demanded that the government should roll back the increased prices or give subsidy to lower the prices of fertilizers and other things used in farming.